Give in to Despair
by Unholy-Existence
Summary: Major DR/ SDR2 SPOILERS. The world is drowning in despair. The most noble and just of humans have not been able to resist its shadowy grasp, and have fallen prey to the darkness in their souls. The great animal breeder Gundam Tanaka is no exception. A task has been set before him by the hateful goddess - destroy the remaining hope within his heart. Will he give in to despair?


**Major SDR2/ DR spoilers including endgame spoilers for both games! This is set pre-SDR2, DR. WARNINGS: Violence, and implied animal death. **

Though there was not a single cloud in the sky, the sky was dark. It was dark with hopelessness. The air was heavy with despair, the streets spotted with blood and broken glass. In the distance, sirens constantly wailed and screeched. People hid in their houses as though the thin walls could somehow protect them from the despair and carnage outside.

This…had become normal. Humanity had finally decided to dive face-first into hell. And it seemed like there was no turning back.

A young man stood on the steps leading to his house. A pale hand rested on the door, and he honestly didn't know if he wanted to open it. There was hope inside and if he, a Super High School Level Despair, opened that door, then all the hope would vanish.

His hand trembled, and he remembered.

"You want everyone to feel despair, don't you?" The cunning witch had said, her grey-blue eyes bright and yet lifeless all at the same time. "Then do as you're told." She said with a grin.

He had been silent then, staring at the witch with a cold expression. He had killed the one who poisoned him, the tragic angel. It had taken so much of his willpower, and in the end he rationalized that the one who poisoned him would not survive in such a world. He did her a kindness by ending her. But guilt still gnawed at his stomach, despair settled deep in his chest. Why couldn't that death be enough?

"What a scary face, senpaiii~!" The witch, now taking the appearance of a young and innocent girl, cooed. She had grown bored, and so she changed her personality. "Don't look at me like that!" She whined.

"I do not see why I have to participate in such acts. A God such as I can be merciful." He said at last.

"Merciful~?" She repeated, false innocence oozing from her tone. Her expression hardened, and her voice grew icy. "You ain't gonna be merciful, understand?! Everyone else killed 'n gave in to hopelessness, so you should too! God or no, you're going to do it!"  
She cleared her throat, and suddenly gave off a professional vibe, pulling out a pair of glasses to add to the effect. "My apologies. But you must realize that in order to feel true despair, you must get rid of everything that gives you hope. You promised me you'd do it, Gundam."

"I did. However…."

"There is no 'however'. You need to do it, do it for yourself. This world, this pathetic world, is filled with despair. You realized that a long time ago. So, please. Spare yourself the heartache of hope and just do it." Her voice was filled with pity. "Free yourself from false lies like hope. And bring your despair to me."

Her words were cunning. They wrapped around his head. A witch should not be able to beat a God, and yet….

….and yet. The pain in his chest was more than he could handle. There was still a small seed of hope there, and it hurt. He was a God, right? He should not feel trivial things such as pain. Best to numb everything away, and sacrifice all the hope and despair to the witch Junko.

"…..Very well." Gundam said. His normally confident and boisterous voice was faint. "I'll do as you ask."

Junko's face lit up. "Greaaaat!" She said, sticking her tongue out in excitement. "That's wonderful!" Just then Gundam could not help but notice that beneath that cheerful demeanor, there was something evil and dead.

He took a breath in, snapping out of his memories. His hand was still on the door, and sweat had begun to gather against his palm.  
This was something he had to do. It was the witch's orders. The witch had been right about everything else, so this should be no different.

But it was.

Gundam brought his hand away from the door and brushed it against his Devil Dog Earring. That fearsome Pomeranian had been a worthy foe, but eventually the great Super High School Level Animal Breeder had managed to tame it. It had given him this as a gift. He wondered, morosely, what had happened to that great beast, after the world had dove into hell.

He finally exhaled, quelled his trembling shoulders, and put his hand on the doorknob. He twisted it with a flick of his wrist, and it swung open.  
Slightly musty air greeted his nostrils. Since the one who poisoned him was no longer around, dust had piled up and left the house smelling odd. It continued to grow dirtier with each trip. All the times before, he came here in secret, a bag of food tucked under his cape, seeds hidden in his scarf. Now, of course, was different. He had seeds in one pocket, kibble, treats, and even a cricket in the other. There was no water, nor any other food.

This time was different.

A small shudder went down his spine as he entered the hallway and closed the door behind him. Gundam increased his pace, refusing to look in the direction of the kitchen. The countertops were probably still stained with blood. He hastily walked past, footsteps clambering as he made his way up the stairs to his old room. His room, unlike the rest of the house, remained remarkably clean.

As soon as the door opened, hope hit him right in the face. Happy barks, meows and chirps greeted him. Despite all the reigning chaos outside, his animals had still managed to remain safe and sound, all because of him.

"Greetings, my immortal allies." He said, voice commanding and yet cheerful. "My apologies for not returning sooner."

A cat, the Mistress of Woe, purred and twined herself around his legs. The great bloodhound Star 7 Warrior barked and ran up to him, licking his hand. In her cage, the canary sang softly. And, in their cage, the Four Dark Gods of Destruction peered at him with their clever black eyes.  
No, they bore no ill will against him. Even though he'd been away for a couple of days, they still greeted him. They were kind, loyal, truly the best allies he had ever had.

A lump formed in his throat, and he had to force it away. Shutting the door behind him, he walked across the room and opened the cages. The canary, Sun of Night, flew out, landing on his bookshelf a few feet away. Holding out his hand, he allowed the Four Dark Gods of Destruction to climb up his arm and into his scarf. Their fur felt warm against his skin, and for a brief moment he smiled. The smile wavered a second later, nearly breaking into pieces before strengthening again. He couldn't allow himself to show any sadness, fear, or sorrow. If he did, all of his intelligent friends would know right away. They would sense his unease and begin to feel uneasy themselves. Such were the ways of animals. So for them, he smiled.

For about two hours or so, he kept up the facade. He allowed the Dark Gods of Destruction to roam the terrain in their Spheres of Destruction. He tossed a ball for the brave hound to receive, he cooed at the sweet canary, and he stroked the elegant fur of the princess cat. For two hours, he gave into hope.

But as time wore on, his head began to hurt. The witch had sunk her claws deep into his skull, filled his mind with her vile words, and now they were churning 'round his head.

Gundam's hand hovered over the cat's fur, before falling into his lap. His whole body trembled, and his chest ached as though a thousand knives were stabbing into his heart. His breathing started to grow ragged.

"I cannot….." He said softly, voice shaking in a way that was not like him. His animals stared back at him, before rushing to his side in concern. Sun-D and the other Gods gently hopped into his open palm. The loyal hound sat by Gundam, resting his head against Gundam's shoulder. The cat plopped herself in Gundam's lap. The canary perched on his other shoulder. And then it became all too much. His chest felt hotter and hotter, the heat expanding to his throat, to his eyes. Agony poured down his cheeks.

"How can I, the Great Gundam Tanaka, do this? H-How….?" He whispered.. Gundam could not offer any comforting words. In that moment, he could not even speak.

His body was a swirl of emotion. Anger – fury at himself for allowing the witch to warp him so shamefully. Sorrow, pity anguish at what he had to do. All these emotions churned inside him. And yet, there was another emotion. Pleasure – happiness – a sick sort of enjoyment at the agony he was feeling. All of these feelings mixed around until they turned into one thing – despair. And with that emotion came a new sort of horrible awareness.

She would not allow hope to continue living inside Gundam's heart. And so if he did not get rid of the hope himself, she would do it. And she would do it in a way that was far crueler and more painful than anything Gundam could have done.

It

Was

Inevitable.

This shattering realization made him feel numb. Empty. He sat there for a long moment, waiting for his cheeks to dry and the panic in his chest to subside, until all that was left was a dull, throbbing numbness.

Gundam smiled, though it was a hollow one. "I am fine, dear immortal ones." He said, tone cheerful once again. He reassured each animal until they were certain, yet they still would not leave his side.

He petted them each once, and he exhaled. "The time is nigh…" He murmured to himself. He thought of the treats in his pockets. Upon first glance, they would appear ordinary, but on closer inspection, there was what appeared to be an odd substance on them. A spell straight from the netherworld itself. There would be no pain. Gundam had made absolutely sure of that.

He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling detached. The numbness had spread throughout his entire body. As though he were merely an observer,

he heard himself ask. "Would you like to indulge yourselves in foods fit for kings?"

And then, finally, he gave in completely to despair.

**A/N: Well, this is certainly one of the more darker stories I've written. With that being said, I'm tempted to make this one-shot into a series of stories containing each of the despair students, including Junko and Mukuro, describing how they fell into despair and what they did while they despaired. Feedback on if I should expand the story would be nice! Thanks for reading! **


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